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A Welcome Message From Acting Co-Deans Campbell and Hopson

Dr. Corbin Campbell and Dr. Rodney Hopson

It is our pleasure to welcome everyone to the School of Education (SOE) at American University. While Dean Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy is on a well-deserved sabbatical through July 2024, we continue to prepare students to transform societies through education, both in-person and through online learning and for classrooms in the US and beyond our borders where those who need it most can benefit from our diverse portfolio of excellent teaching, innovative research, and deep, impactful service. 

As education is under attack around the world and equity and diversity are under fire, SOE offers an antiracist environment that goes beyond simply uplifting equity, diversity, and inclusion. Here, learners are part of an engaged and interactive learning community where the structures of historic racism are questioned, and steps are taken to dismantle them. We support all students’ potentials as individuals as we foster an environment of scientific discovery and advocacy in the community.  

Whether you are looking to become a certified teacher as an undergraduate student, or further your established career with an advanced degree in education policy and leadership or international training and education, we offer a variety of degrees from certification as an early childhood educator through a Doctorate in Education to lead transforming education. 

We strive to meet learners where you are, whether learning online at a convenient time and place for you, or joining us in the classroom in Washington, DC or from abroad. We are a significant presence in the DC area and place students and graduates in public schools, charter schools, educational nonprofits, government agencies, and NGOs. Our setting in the nation’s capital affords opportunities to take advantage of partnerships such as the Lab School, City Teaching Alliance, and many other organizations. 

We aim to ensure that our research and service have national and international impact. Our faculty have raised more than $8 million since our school’s establishment in 2017 with meaningful partnership support with philanthropic organizations, federal agencies, local and national universities, the District of Columbia Public Schools, professional organizations, and non-profit organizations aligned to our school’s mission. Our faculty are regularly featured in the world’s leading newspapers, periodicals, and media outlets. 

Our educational offerings have something for everyone, and if this website does not bring SOE to life for you, schedule a campus visit, sit in on a class, and experience it for yourself. We look forward to welcoming you into our community! 

Warm Regards, 
Dr. Corbin M. Campbell
Acting Co-Dean & Professor

Dr. Rodney Hopson 
Acting Co-Dean & Professor    

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